


Conversations on a Balcony

by deinonychus_1



Category: Atlantis (UK TV)
Genre: Angst, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Friendship, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-04-10
Updated: 2015-04-10
Packaged: 2018-03-22 05:28:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 11
Words: 20,006
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3716875
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/deinonychus_1/pseuds/deinonychus_1
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It’s late at night, they are in the house by themselves, so Jason and Pythagoras talk. In a story told wholly through a series of late night conversations, often aided by alcohol, Jason and Pythagoras discuss anything and everything, from the not so serious (such as the time Jason tries to explain the internet), to subjects that are close to both their hearts. In doing so, they learn more about each other and their friendship grows.</p><p>But no matter how close they are, Jason knows they both have secrets. Jason still dare not tell Pythagoras the truth about who he is and where he comes from. And no matter how honest Pythagoras is about his sexuality and past relationships, Jason soon comes to believe that his friend is hiding a great heartache.</p><p>When matters come to a head one night, Jason must decide how much he is prepared to risk in order to save his relationship with the best friend he has ever known.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Magic Box of Scrolls

**Author's Note:**

> AN: Written for small fandom bang round 4. Thanks to small fandom bang for giving me the excuse to finally get this fic written. It is, of course, inspired by *that* scene in episode 1.6. Fic is set after the end of series 1 and before the beginning of series 2
> 
> AN2: Certain parts of this story may seem familiar to anyone who has read my fic [A Million Little Things](http://archiveofourown.org/works/1701035). That’s because A Million Little Things is pretty much my established headcanon backstory for Pythagoras and Hercules’ past together, so I figured why not use it again? This time we get things from Pythagoras’ point of view. 
> 
> AN3: Thanks to fififolle and clea2011for the beta. And huge thanks to Clea and Celeste for putting up with me wittering on about it for the last three months or so. 
> 
> AN4: [ Go and look at the beautiful artwork created for this fic](http://archiveofourown.org/works/3717964) by MistressKat (kat_lair). It’s scattered throughout the fic as well, but please go and give the artist some feedback for all this lovely work.

  
  
[full size version here](http://ic.pics.livejournal.com/deinonychus_1/13170103/242335/242335_original.jpg)  


“Jason, what is...?” Pythagoras paused and frowned. “Int...er...net?”

Jason stopped, the cup halfway to his mouth, and tried not to panic.

“What?” he stalled.

“I heard you talking about it yesterday. When I was working on my equations, you muttered something about five minutes on the int er net and you would save me a lot of work.”

“Um...” Jason bought himself another few moments by actually getting the cup to his mouth and taking a slow drink from it. 

They had been sitting on the balcony and drinking wine and chatting about inconsequential things for about half an hour when Pythagoras had dropped that particular can of worms into the conversation.

He glanced over the rim of his cup. Pythagoras was watching him with such an expression of genuine curiosity, Jason suddenly knew he had to say something. He couldn’t just sidestep this one, like he had with so many other accidental slips since he had arrived in Atlantis.

It was just, no matter how intelligent Pythagoras undoubtedly was, Jason had no idea how the hell to explain the internet to someone whose level of technological knowledge was barely out of the Bronze Age. What he needed was a way of describing it that didn’t just lead to even more questions, like what electricity and computers were. 

Pythagoras began to frown, and Jason glanced around the room, desperate for inspiration. He spotted a pile of his friend’s scrolls weighted down on the table, the corners fluttering slightly in the breeze, and an idea started to form in his mind. 

“It’s... it’s sort of like a magic box of scrolls.”

“Sort of like?”

“It’s really difficult to explain. But imagine you had a box about so big,” Jason put his cup down and demonstrated about the size and shape of a laptop with his hands. “And it contained all the scrolls in the world. Every bit of knowledge that anyone had ever written down.”

“It is not possible to fit that many scrolls in a box that size,” Pythagoras said, in almost exactly the same tone he had used when they first met, when he had questioned how a city could exist under the sea. 

Jason grinned. 

“That’s why it’s a magic box. The scrolls aren’t in there until you ask for them.”

Pythagoras didn’t dignify that with a reply, just a disbelieving raised eyebrow.

“No, stick with me on this.” Jason was getting into his stride now. He suspected the near half a flagon of wine he had already drunk might be helping a little.

“I’m listening.”

“Okay, so you’re right. Obviously a box that size can’t fit all the knowledge in the world in it at the same time. But it’s magic. You have to ask it for the information that you want, and then when you open it, it will only contain the scrolls that are relevant to what you asked it.” 

And about five thousand other things that aren’t even remotely relevant, but let’s not go into that, he thought to himself. 

Pythagoras leaned forward, obviously intrigued, despite his scepticism.

“Let’s say, for instance, you wanted to know something about a particular herb,” Jason continued. “You type- I mean, you ask it for information about that herb, and then when you open the box, you find all sorts of scrolls about things to do with that herb. The more specific you are, the better the information. Say, if you just ask for general stuff about the herb, you’ll get all sorts of rubbish, and spend ages sorting through it to find anything useful. But if you ask it for medicinal uses for the herb, it will cut out a lot of the irrelevant ones and give you more of what you want.”

“And if I then closed the box and asked it for something different, those herb scrolls would disappear, and it would be filled with new scrolls about the new question?”

Jason grinned. “Exactly.”

“I have never heard of such a magic device. It sounds incredibly powerful; the ability to have a limitless library at your fingertips like that. Surely only wealthy and powerful men could have access to such a thing?”

“Actually, nearly everyone has one. And if they don’t there are public ones that people can use for free.”

Pythagoras gave him a suspicious stare for several seconds, and then grinned. 

“I almost believed you for a moment!”

Jason knew he ought to have been relieved, but for a second he felt... disappointed. That made no sense, though. He wondered exactly how strong this wine was.

Pythagoras, still grinning, leaned across and poked his shoulder.

“You are getting as bad as Hercules with these stories.”

“Nobody is _that_ bad,” Jason chuckled. 

“Magic box of scrolls that _everyone_ has access to!” Pythagoras poured himself some more wine, shaking his head in utter disbelief.

And right at that moment Jason wanted to show him. Jason desperately wanted to find a way to take Pythagoras back to the 21st century and show him his world. The thought of Pythagoras with access to the internet for even just an afternoon. The things he could accomplish! He wanted to show him computers and libraries and television. He wanted to feed him several bags of Haribo sweets and sit back and watch what happened, because the mental image of Pythagoras on a sugar and e-number high was both hilarious and slightly terrifying. 

He wanted to not have to lie to his best friend any more.

It suddenly occurred to Jason that he had got away with it again. He had managed to sidestep the awkward question, and his secrets were still safe. 

He couldn’t help but wonder how many more times Pythagoras would let him get away with it.


	2. His Type

“So, Pythagoras, that girl today?”

Pythagoras looked confused.

“What girl?”

“The one in the marketplace. Short, blond, pretty. Blatantly trying to chat you up.”

Jason couldn’t hide his amusement any longer, especially at the look of utter surprise and bewilderment on Pythagoras’ face. 

“What? Don’t be ridiculous. We were just talking about the uses of herbs in cooking.”

“Pythagoras, she was standing so close to you that if she’d got any nearer she would have had to climb inside your shirt.” Jason smirked. “Actually, by the way she was looking at you, I think she wanted to do that anyway.”

Pythagoras shook his head and gulped down a large swig of wine.

“I doubt that very much,” he muttered.

“You _really_ didn’t notice?” Jason knew his friend could sometimes be a little slow when it came to reading people, but even by Pythagoras’ standards this was an impressive display of obliviousness.

“Even if I had noticed, she wasn’t my type.”

That caught Jason’s attention. Quite frankly, the fact that Pythagoras even _had_ a ‘type’ was news worth investigating further.

“Oh yeah? So what is your type, then?”

Pythagoras abruptly, and for no apparent reason, flushed an interesting shade of pink, and stopped meeting Jason’s eye.

“Oh, come on. You can’t say something like that and then not tell me.” Jason knew he was grinning but he couldn’t help it. 

Pythagoras picked up his cup and took another drink. Finally he looked up and properly met Jason’s gaze.

“Tall. Dark. Intelligent.” He hesitated. “Male.”

Most of Jason’s brain functions screeched to an abrupt halt. It took him several seconds, and a slightly nervous raised eyebrow from Pythagoras, to realise he was doing an impression of a startled goldfish, and he quickly closed his mouth.

“You’re gay?” Jason finally managed.

Pythagoras frowned in confusion.

“What does my state of happiness have to do with this?”

“Sorry. Um, I mean, you like men?”

“Yes.” Pythagoras seemed to study Jason for a moment. “I’ve shocked you.”

“No!” Jason shook his head. 

Pythagoras looked sceptical. Jason wasn’t entirely sure he blamed him.

“No,” Jason tried again. “No, shocked isn’t the right word. I’m _surprised_ , yes. But I mean, it’s okay. It’s fine, really. I’m not-” He realised he was on the verge of babbling, and attempted to regroup before he could dig himself in any deeper. 

Jason’s mind was whirling, several ideas and memories associated with Pythagoras rearranging themselves in his mind to fit this new revelation. He wasn’t so preoccupied that he couldn’t recognise the worry in his friend’s eyes, though. 

“Honestly,” Jason smiled. “It was just a bit unexpected, that’s all.”

Pythagoras finally returned his smile and visibly relaxed. 

Pythagoras preferred men. Jason let it sink in for another moment or two, and then frowned.

“So how come Hercules keeps making all those comments about you and women? He must know, surely?”

“Of course he knows. He’s just being Hercules.”

Yes, that sounded about right. Jason wondered, suddenly, if Hercules made some of those comments deliberately to maintain the secret and throw Jason, or anyone else, off the truth. Which begged the question of why? Jason knew different cultures in history had a less than welcoming approach to homosexuality, but what he knew of the ancient world, of Greece and Rome, suggested they were a little more open to possibilities.

“This might be a stupid question...” he said, still trying to work out what he wanted to say, or rather, how he wanted to say it. 

“If you don’t know the answer then asking is not stupid.”

It never failed to amaze Jason how patient Pythagoras was with Jason’s lack of knowledge about things. He was never going to stop being grateful for that patience, either. 

“Okay. So, it is allowed in Atlantis? Can two men, or two women, have a relationship? It’s not illegal or anything, is it?”

Pythagoras frowned.

“Is it illegal where you’re from?”

“No. It used to be, years ago, but not any more.”

Pythagoras seemed to be thinking hard for a few moments. Then he made himself comfortable, cross-legged, and adopted what Jason had come to think of as his ‘teacher’ persona.

“It’s not actually illegal, but at the same time it’s not openly acceptable, either. Nobody looks twice if boys experiment, it’s almost expected. But for two adult men to have a relationship is different. It’s practical as much as anything. Males are expected to marry and have children and carry on the family name. Eldest males in particular might be expected to carry on the family profession, or take over the household.”

Jason gave him a sympathetic grimace.

“That must be awkward for you.”

Pythagoras shrugged. 

“Actually, not really. I never had any intention of following my father’s profession. And when our mother died I told Arcas he could have the house in Samos if he wanted it. Truthfully, I think he might have gambled it away. But I’ve no doubt he’ll produce more than enough children to carry on the family. Either way, there’s no one to be disapproving of me.”

Not for the first time, Jason wished there was something he could say to make any of Pythagoras’ family history okay, but he didn’t have time to speak before Pythagoras was off again.

“Anyway, it’s easier if there are other male siblings. It can be overlooked and family obligations can be taken on by another male heir. It’s also easier in a place like Atlantis, a big city. It’s less... obvious.”

Jason nodded. No matter whether you lived in 21st century England or ancient Greece, small village mindsets were the same. 

“But I’m guessing from what you’re saying that you still can’t be open about it, even in a place like this?”

Pythagoras shook his head. 

“People will tolerate it, as long as it is kept private.”

“Don’t ask, don’t tell,” Jason muttered.

Pythagoras frowned in confusion.

“It was a policy in the army, I think, where I come from,” Jason explained.

“It does sum it up quite well,” Pythagoras agreed. “Although here, the army, or a band of warriors, is actually a place where it is more likely to be acceptable. Or so I’ve heard, anyway.”

Lots of fit young men gathered together away from everyone else, all that testosterone. Yeah, Jason could see that.

He filed all this new information away, intending to come back to it later. In the meantime, while all this was useful background information, what Jason was really interested in was how all of this impacted on his friend. 

“So, do you, um... Have you got...?”

Pythagoras smirked and took pity on him.

“Am I currently having a relationship with a man that I have somehow managed to keep secret from you and Hercules?” Pythagoras smiled and Jason squirmed. “Not at the moment. Not for a while, actually. There was someone, but...” 

He shrugged, but for a second Jason saw something in his eyes. Something that looked a lot like hurt. 

“I’m sorry, I’m being nosy. You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want.”

Pythagoras looked at him steadily and gave him a small smile.

“I don’t. Not right now, at any rate. It is late, and I think that is a conversation for another day.”

Jason wasn’t sure whether to feel awful for having touched an obviously raw nerve, or relieved that Pythagoras trusted him enough to share such personal information, someday, even if not right away.

He reached for the wine, and realised the flagon was empty. It had been one of those nights, apparently. 

Pythagoras sighed and stretched, and leaned back against the wall.

“Jason, can I ask...?” There was a curious expression on his face. “You really hadn’t realised I liked men?”

“Not a clue,” Jason admitted. 

Pythagoras chuckled. 

Jason had a sudden suspicion that he was going to be reminded of this the next time he so much as thought about teasing Pythagoras for being oblivious and clueless.


	3. Origin Stories

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the chapter where you might recognise things from my other fic, A Million Little Things. You've had Hercules' pov, here's Pythagoras'.

“Pythagoras, how did you and Hercules end up living together?”

It was one of those things that Jason had wondered about ever since he met the two of them. The fact that Hercules and Pythagoras cared deeply about each other was obvious to anyone who spent more than five minutes in their presence, but at the same time Jason couldn’t begin to fathom how two people who were so completely different had ever become friends in the first place.

Pythagoras was standing leaning on the balcony and watching the street below. At Jason’s question he glanced round and his frustrated expression melted into something softer.

“It’s not a particularly exciting story.”

Jason held up a flagon and two cups as he approached.

“That’s probably for the best,” Jason said. “I think we’ve already had enough excitement for one day.”

Hercules had got the three of them involved in a bar room brawl. That by itself hadn’t necessarily been a problem until they discovered that the man Hercules had annoyed happened to have ten very large friends, and they had ended up being chased halfway across the city. When they did finally get home safely, Pythagoras had spent a good half hour yelling at Hercules as he patched his injuries up, until Hercules simply got up and walked out, leaving Pythagoras to simmer and Jason to deal with his friend’s bad mood. 

He had to admit, Pythagoras in a bad mood was such a rare occurrence that Jason was somewhat at a loss to know _how_ to deal with it. So he had fallen back on what always seemed to happen when he and Pythagoras were alone in the house together in the evening. 

Pythagoras managed a small smile, and turned around properly and accepted the cup of wine. He remained standing, though, so Jason sat down at the table and waited.

Pythagoras didn’t say anything at first. His eyes remained on the cup in his hands, and he stayed silent for long enough that Jason began to wonder if this hadn’t been a good idea after all. He was about to tell Pythagoras to forget it, when his friend finally did start to speak.

“It was my first day in Atlantis. I’d arrived on a boat from Samos in the morning, and I didn’t know anyone and I didn’t have anywhere to go, and I had no idea what I was going to do here. To tell you the truth, I had been hoping to go to Athens, but I would have had to wait another week for a transport going to the mainland. The boat for Atlantis was leaving right when I wanted to get out, so I ended up here instead.” 

Everything Pythagoras had just said raised a million more questions in Jason’s mind, but he didn’t get chance to ask any of them.

Pythagoras glanced up and must have seen Jason’s expression. 

“It wasn’t after what happened with my father, if that’s what you’re thinking. That was a few years earlier. I was seventeen, and I... well, let’s just say a relationship had ended badly and I couldn’t stay. And I couldn’t go home and face Arcas again. So I ended up in Atlantis.”

Was that the same relationship he had alluded to before, but refused to talk about? Jason hoarded that little bit of information away for later and didn’t interrupt.

“The first time I saw Hercules, he was wrestling. And he lost. I stopped to help him after the match because he looked like he was injured. No one else seemed to be with him, and I couldn’t just leave him there like that.”

Pythagoras did finally glance up at Jason, and Jason was pleased to note that a faint smile had appeared on his face now.

“He insisted on taking me to the tavern and we got talking. And then a drunk man tried to start a fight with me.” His expression twisted into something self-deprecating and almost angry. “Well, I say fight. It wasn’t much of a fight. He shoved me and I fell over and didn’t put up any resistance. I would probably have just got up and run away right then if he had tried anything else.”

“Pythagoras,” Jason interrupted. He was no longer sure this was a good idea at all.

“Do you want to hear it or not?”

“Not if it’s making you uncomfortable.”

“It’s not. Believe it or not, this is a good memory. One of the few good memories I have of that time in my life.”

Pythagoras sipped at his wine for a moment. Jason remained silent and waited for him.

“I was in a strange place, surrounded by men in various states of drunkenness, and one of them was threatening me. I’m sure you can imagine how much that brought back a few memories.”

Bloody hell. Jason could imagine all too well. 

“And then Hercules was there,” Pythagoras said. “He appeared out of nowhere, and put himself between me and the man who had shoved me. And you know what? Hercules punched him. Damn near flattened the guy. And then he said something, and I will never forget what he said, Jason. He said, ‘This boy is with me. Anybody touches this boy and they will answer to me’.”

Pythagoras looked up and Jason saw that now he was smiling. A soft, affectionate, almost embarrassed smile. It made Jason want to hug him.

“I will never, ever forget that. Hercules was the first person in a long time, maybe the only person apart from my mother, who had ever stood up for me. Who ever protected me with no agenda or ulterior motive. Just because he cared. I think I loved him a little for that.”

Jason found himself nodding. Yeah, he could see exactly why Pythagoras would have formed such a strong relationship with Hercules after that. No matter how much he blustered and complained, there was nothing more guaranteed to bring out Hercules’ protective instincts than Pythagoras in trouble. The fact that apparently went right back to their first meeting only made Jason feel even more affection for their large friend. 

“Anyway,” Pythagoras continued. “After that he brought me home, and let me stay. I think we both only intended it to be for a short while. But I never left. I know a lot of people look at us and wonder how we’re friends. Sometimes I don’t even know, to be honest. But it just... worked. We fit together. That’s the only way I can describe it.”

Pythagoras flushed an interesting shade of pink and downed most of the wine he was holding. 

Jason grinned and held the flagon out, but Pythagoras refused any more.

“I told you it wasn’t very exciting,” Pythagoras said with a small chuckle. “Nowhere near as exciting as the way I met you, at least.” 

Maybe not, but Jason couldn’t help thinking there were similarities. A lost young man in a foreign land, protected and taken in by a stranger for no reason other than it seemed like the right thing to do. It was almost karmic. Or maybe, as the people of Atlantis were so fond of saying, it was fate.

He suddenly realised Pythagoras was looking at him with an entirely too curious expression.

“You never did tell me how you came to be in Atlantis, Jason. Not properly.”

“Oh. I...um...”

Jason floundered. 

Pythagoras glanced out of the window behind him and sighed.

“Never mind. I think I see Hercules coming home. We will have to save that one for another night.”

“Yeah. No problem.”

Oh, crap.


	4. Domestic God

“Jason, why have you never learned to cook?”

“Oh, Pythagoras, are you still going on about that? I said I was sorry!”

“I’m not ‘going on’ about anything. I’m just curious as to how a man can get so far through life without knowing how to cook properly.”

Jason looked out over the street below in an obvious but futile attempt to avoid Pythagoras’ gaze.

He had made the mistake of attempting to cook dinner that evening, mainly because Pythagoras was so engrossed in his triangles that he had completely forgotten about food. The word ‘disaster’ didn’t begin to cover it. The stew had been burnt to the pot around the edges and yet still barely warm in the middle, half the vegetables had turned to mush, and he had completely overdone it with the herbs. When even Hercules refused to eat it, Jason knew it really was bad. 

Jason had been feeling embarrassed and guilty about the entire episode, and spent the rest of the evening trying to avoid his friends. Hercules had disappeared to the tavern in search of something edible, leaving Pythagoras to throw together some bread and cheese and olives as an emergency replacement. Jason had pretty much expected Hercules to make a big thing of it, but honestly, he had hoped Pythagoras would be more forgiving.

“Hercules can’t cook, either,” Jason muttered, somewhat petulantly. 

“Actually, he can,” Pythagoras replied. “He just pretends he can’t because he knows I will do it for him.”

Jason wondered, not for the first time, how their little household would ever manage without Pythagoras. 

“I suppose I mostly just let my dad do all the cooking,” Jason admitted. “Or whoever was taking care of me after Dad disappeared.”

That wasn’t even a lie; he had always preferred to let someone else do the cooking. And as an adult he had relied heavily on microwaves and takeaways. The truth was, even despite their occasional brushes with hunger, Jason’s diet had probably improved massively since he started living in Atlantis, what with all the fresh fruit and real meat and freshly baked bread. It was certainly a far cry from frozen pizza and chicken nuggets.

“Even so, I’m still not sure how you managed to get it so wrong.” There was no accusation in Pythagoras’ voice, although Jason was pretty sure he could hear a lot of amusement. 

Jason shrugged. “I’m just not good with cooking on open fires. It’s impossible to control the heat.”

“What other method is there?” Pythagoras asked, his expression one of honest confusion. 

Jason winced. He’d walked right into that one. This was going to be another one of those awkward conversations. 

He thought quickly. “Well, an oven?” 

“Your family had their own oven?” Pythagoras’ eyes were wide. 

“Um...”

“I would love to have an oven of our own. Of course, there’s nowhere to put one in a house this size. And I’m sure they work better on a ground floor, it’s much better for insulation. Up here half of the heat would escape through the floorboards and it wouldn’t be very efficient.”

Jason found himself starting to smile.

“Pythagoras, you are the only man I have ever met who has gone into raptures about an oven.”

“I’m just saying it would be useful.”

“You are so... _domestic_.”

Pythagoras only looked slightly put out. “Well, one of us has got to be, otherwise we would all have starved by now.”

Jason laughed.

“Good point.”

Pythagoras looked thoughtful for a moment, and his mouth turned down at the corners slightly. 

“I suppose living here must seem quite primitive to you, after what you are used to.”

God, Pythagoras had no idea how right he was. Of course, he probably just thought that Jason came from a wealthy family with a big house, but for a second Jason entertained the possibility that he might have guessed the truth, or something like the truth.

But right then, seeing the expression on Pythagoras’ face, Jason had bigger concerns.

“It was certainly different. But Pythagoras, there is nothing wrong with this house or the way we live. To tell you the truth, living here with you guys, this is the happiest I’ve been for a long time.”

For a moment Jason felt self-conscious at such as announcement. He had said it because he didn’t want Pythagoras to feel bad, but really, that was probably the most truthful thing Jason had said in this entire conversation. 

It was worth the embarrassment for the soft smile that appeared on Pythagoras’ face. 

“Even though you don’t have a proper bedroom, or an oven, or any of the other things that you occasionally mutter about and then refuse to explain?”

“Those things are overrated.” 

Besides, despite the lack of amenities, this house had one important thing that his old life didn’t – Pythagoras. And Hercules, of course. But mostly when Jason thought of home now, he thought of Pythagoras. 

“Perhaps,” Pythagoras said. He offered Jason a slightly embarrassed smile. “But an oven _would_ be nice.”

Jason laughed, and mentally added a kitchen and bathroom showroom to the list of places he would take Pythagoras to, if they ever found themselves in the 21st century.


	5. Falling

“Pythagoras, what’s wrong?”

Pythagoras shook his head for the third time, and poured himself more wine with a hand that was not quite steady. 

Jason reached out and touched his wrist to stop him from drinking any more.

“No. No, Pythagoras. You don’t get to sit here in this state and tell me that there’s nothing wrong. Please. Just talk to me.”

Pythagoras pulled away from Jason’s hand, sloshing wine over his trousers as he did so. He frowned at the spreading wet patch, and then closed his eyes and drank deeply, his Adam’s apple working around each mouthful.

Jason gave a frustrated sigh.

Pythagoras was drunk. Or at the very least, he was well on the way to getting drunk, and Jason had no idea why, and even less idea what to do about it. If Hercules was here he might have been able to get through to him, but he had gone to the tavern and Jason didn’t dare to leave Pythagoras alone for long enough to go and look for Hercules.

The trouble was, Pythagoras _never_ got drunk. Given what had happened with his father, Jason fully understood why that might be the case. It wasn’t as if Pythagoras was teetotal or anything; he just always stopped drinking long before the rest of them, and Jason had never once seen him in anything other than perfect control.

That was what had made it so frightening when Jason had come home and found Pythagoras sitting on the floor in the balcony room, with an empty flagon already cast aside and halfway through a second, apparently on a mission to get completely wasted. So far he had managed to evade every one of Jason’s inquiries as to what had caused this, but it didn’t take a genius to recognise that something was very wrong with him.

If it was just the drunkenness it might not have been so bad, but his eyes were red and swollen and it was clear that he had been crying. 

Short of physically taking the flagon away (which felt far too much as if he was treating him like a naughty child), Jason had done the only thing he could do – he sat down with him and resolved to take care of his friend.

“Have you ever been in love?”

Jason looked up in surprise at the question. Pythagoras had turned to look at him and was actually meeting his eye for the first time since Jason had found him like this. 

“I... uh.” Jason fumbled for an answer. 

What the hell was he supposed to say? And what did it have to do with Pythagoras’ current state?

Pythagoras watched him while he stuttered, and if it were possible, the look in his eyes became even sadder.

“Jason, that should not be a question that you have to think so hard about. If you had ever truly been in love you would know.”

_Maybe I was. But I fucked it up._

Jason shoved that thought away. Now was not the time for his own issues.

This time Jason was the one who shook his head.

“I don’t think it’s that simple.”

“Simple?” Pythagoras choked back a bitter laugh. “Love is many things, Jason, but simple is not one of them.”

“What’s wrong, Pythagoras?” Jason asked gently.

“Why didn’t you say Ariadne?”

Jason was thrown by the non sequiter.

“What?” 

“When I asked if you had ever been in love. Surely your first thought must have been of Ariadne?”

Jason was vaguely aware that Pythagoras was deflecting him from the real issue here, but the fact was it had worked. Suddenly all he could think about was the princess. Or more correctly, all he could think about was the fact that he _hadn’t_ immediately thought of the princess.

He considered just avoiding the question. He wanted to get this back onto finding out what was wrong with his friend. But at the same time, Pythagoras had refused to speak about what had got him into this state every time Jason had asked so far, there was no reason to believe that would change if Jason just kept pressing him. This... at least Pythagoras was talking, even if it wasn’t about himself. Jason wondered if it might be a way in. 

Besides, maybe he did want to talk about Ariadne. And if he was going to talk to anyone about it, to try to clear some of the thoughts in his head on the subject of the princess, Pythagoras would be his first choice of confidant. Even drunk, Pythagoras was still a better option for that conversation than Hercules.

“I thought I was in love with Ariadne. Who wouldn’t be? She’s beautiful. And it was like there was a connection between us right from the first time I saw her. She didn’t have to give me that thread when I went to the Minotaur, but she did. She helped me, and I thought... I don’t know what I thought. I thought I was in love.”

Jason’s gaze remained fixed on the far wall throughout that little pronouncement. He didn’t dare meet Pythagoras’ eye.

“Jason, if you are suddenly saying that you are _not_ in love with her, after you nearly got yourself killed in the pankration, and you nearly got yourself killed by Therus, and you nearly got yourself killed by Heptarian, _all_ of which were because you were protecting Ariadne, I will be quite annoyed.”

Jason huffed a small laugh. 

“When you put it like that...”

“Jason.” 

Jason wasn’t sure if it was a warning or simply an honest question. 

“I don’t know. I thought I was in love. But what use is that if we can never be together? I hate to admit it, but maybe you and Hercules were right when you kept telling me to forget her. Minos has warned me off and he won’t let me anywhere near her. I care for her, and I’m pretty sure she cares for me. But I haven’t seen her for months, and you know what? That bothers me less and less every day.”

He finally forced himself to meet Pythagoras’ gaze. His friend was staring at him, his mouth open in shock. It was almost funny.

“The truth is I barely know her. I think maybe I was in love with the _idea_ of Ariadne, more than with Ariadne herself. Does that make sense?”

Pythagoras nodded. He hesitated, and then put his cup down and leaned over and hugged Jason. The gesture was spoilt a moment later when he overbalanced and all but fell onto Jason. It was probably a good thing they were both already sitting down.

“Oops!” Pythagoras mumbled into Jason’s shoulder. 

“Hey, careful,” Jason laughed, shoving his friend back upright again. 

“Sorry,” Pythagoras said, staring down at his hands. “That was meant to be... you know...”

“I know. Thank you.”

Pythagoras looked at him properly again, and Jason was surprised by how serious he looked.

“I truly am sorry. I know Hercules and I often advised you to forget about Ariadne, but at the same time, I do not wish to see you unhappy.”

God, sometimes he just wanted to hug Pythagoras. Jason managed a reassuring smile.

“I know.” He paused to put his thoughts together. “I won’t say I’m not sad at the thought of giving up on Ariadne. It would have been good to be able to have the chance, at least, to see if that connection could ever have developed into something stronger. But truthfully, I am giving up on it, I think. A few months ago I would have been devastated by that thought. But now...” 

He paused again and stared at the ceiling, willing away the unexpected wetness in his eyes. 

“It hurts, don’t get me wrong. But nowhere near as much as I expected it to.”

Pythagoras’ arm made its way around Jason’s shoulders again, and this time there was no slip. Jason felt his friend shuffle closer, skinny arms wrapped themselves around his body, and Jason found himself enveloped in a hug. 

Despite the turmoil of his thoughts, Jason smiled. Pythagoras wasn’t always the best with words when it came to this kind of thing, but he would always be there, and he would always try. 

“Of course it hurts,” Pythagoras said, his voice barely more than a whisper. “Love always hurts.”

Jason turned to look at him, but Pythagoras laid his head on Jason’s shoulder, neatly avoiding meeting his gaze. Jason hesitated, unsure what to do or say. 

“I’m listening,” Jason said tentatively. “If you want to tell me.”

Pythagoras didn’t reply, but he did squeeze Jason a little tighter for a second to acknowledge him. 

Neither of them spoke for a while. Just when Jason was beginning to think he might never get an answer, Pythagoras let go and pushed himself back to sit at Jason’s side again. He picked up his cup but didn’t drink from it. 

“His name was Icarus,” Pythagoras said quietly. 

Jason turned to look at him properly, but Pythagoras was staring down at the cup in his lap and Jason couldn’t see his expression.

Icarus? _The_ Icarus? Oh, shit. 

“He was funny and intelligent and beautiful. He was my friend. My lover.”

Was. Past tense. Jason knew this story wasn’t going to end well. Hell, if this actually went anything like the myth, he _knew_ how it ended. He wanted to gather Pythagoras up in a hug and not let go, but he held back. 

“Was this the guy before you came to Atlantis?” he asked gently.

Pythagoras’ head snapped up and he met Jason’s gaze and shook his head. 

“No. No that wasn’t him. Icarus was here, in Atlantis.”

Did that mean there was some other bastard who had broken Pythagoras’ heart? Just how many relationships featured in Pythagoras’ past? Only a month or so ago Jason had believed his friend really was all but asexual. Even when he had discovered otherwise, he still hadn’t been able to shake the idea that Pythagoras wasn’t very experienced, that he had maybe had one relationship and that was it. It was beginning to look very much like he was wrong about that as well. 

“When... was it recent?”

Pythagoras shook his head. 

“It was before you came to Atlantis.”

Okay, that made more sense. Jason was pretty sure not even Pythagoras could hide such an intense relationship from them. But if it was an old pain, that still didn’t answer what had upset him so much today.

Pythagoras talking like this was rare, though. Jason knew he was being selfish, but he wanted to hear it, before Pythagoras’ mood changed.

“Icarus was... We were in love. He wanted me as much as I wanted him.” Pythagoras glanced at Jason and quickly looked away again. “That... that was new, for me. Somebody really wanting me.”

Jason swallowed back a question. The implication was enough to fill in another blank about the other guy in Samos, the one who had caused Pythagoras to get on a boat and come to Atlantis in the first place. But this wasn’t about him, and Jason had no intention of interrupting now.

“Icarus made me happy. He was smart, he was funny. He was beautiful.” Pythagoras paused, and for a moment a smile touched his lips. “Don’t get me wrong, he wasn’t perfect by any means. He used to drive me mad with all his crazy ideas and schemes. Half of them were dangerous and the other half were usually barely legal. Sometimes they were both.”

Jason felt himself smiling a little as well. No matter how badly this must have ended, Jason was aware that right at that moment, Pythagoras was trusting him with some of his most treasured memories.

“And he was such a _flirt_. Gods, Jason, I’ve never known anyone flirt like Icarus. Literally anyone was fair game; male, female, it didn’t matter. He flirted like most people breathed.” 

Pythagoras made a small sound, and it took Jason a moment to realise it was a chuckle. 

“You know what? I didn’t even realise he was interested in me at first. When he started flirting with me, I just assumed he was being his usual annoying self. He had to practically jump on me before I could believe that he was actually serious.”

Jason chuckled as well at that, because yeah, he could see Pythagoras being so oblivious that he didn’t recognise when someone was coming onto him, even if the attraction was mutual. He had a sudden mental image of some pretty young man holding Pythagoras, kissing him, of Pythagoras responding. Jason closed his eyes and forced the thoughts away to somewhere deep in the back of his mind. God, he did _not_ want to go there. He tried to ignore the way those thoughts made something inside him squirm.

He waited for Pythagoras to continue, but his friend just drew his legs up and wrapped his arms around his knees and closed his eyes. Jason stayed silent and watched him lose himself in memories. _Love always hurts_. That was what Pythagoras had said. Christ, the guy was no older than Jason himself, and already he had been burned by love twice. He didn’t deserve that. If anyone deserved to be happy it was Pythagoras. 

Right at that moment, Jason wanted to do nothing more than to gather Pythagoras up in his arms and hold him and protect him.

“I... I’ve never talked about him. Not like this.”

“Hercules?”

“He didn’t know. Or maybe he did. Probably he worked it out. He’s smarter than he likes people to think he is. But he never asked, and I never told him.”

 _Why not?_ Jason was all but convinced Pythagoras and Hercules knew everything about each other. So why hadn’t Pythagoras told him? Fear that he would be laughed at? Of the social stigma he had spoken about before? Or maybe it hadn’t been about fear at all. Maybe Pythagoras had just wanted something that was his, alone. 

And now he was sharing it with Jason. There was that funny sensation again, the one that Jason was still trying to ignore.

He didn’t want to ask, but it was hanging there between them, the unspoken ending to the story. 

“What happened?” Jason asked in a soft voice. 

Pythagoras didn’t reply immediately. His eyes were still closed, and his jaw twitched a couple of times before he finally spoke.

“He died. He... he disappeared. They never found his body.”

“I’m sorry.”

“I hadn’t thought about him for a long time. But then today I went to see Daedalus and he asked me to get something from his storeroom. He’s using Icarus’ bedroom as a _storeroom_ , Jason.” 

There was a sudden desperation in his voice and abruptly Jason understood why this had happened today. 

“It’s full of junk, but under all the stuff his things are still there. And I saw... that was the room where we-”

A single tear rolled down Pythagoras’ cheek and Jason couldn’t stop himself any longer. He moved close and wrapped an arm around his friend’s shoulder. Pythagoras suddenly went tense but Jason just pulled him closer.

“I’m sorry.”

Pythagoras made a quiet sound of pain, and turned and buried his face into Jason’s shoulder. In almost a mirror of their positions earlier, Jason wrapped both arms around him and held him, his nose buried in his friend’s fluffy hair.

Icarus. Bloody hell. Pythagoras had never stood a chance of being happy.

No wonder he had turned to the wine when he got home today.

Nobody spoke for some time. Jason could feel his friend trembling in his arms, and held him tighter. He tried to tell himself that maybe this was what Pythagoras needed, if he had never been able to speak of his relationship with Icarus with anyone before. That maybe this was the comfort he had needed when he was grieving, but had been unable to ask for because no one had known. But this... shit. Jason knew it wasn’t strictly his fault, and that this had all been triggered by the visit to Daedalus, but still, he couldn’t help wishing that he hadn’t pushed. 

“Sometimes I wonder if the fates are punishing me for killing my father. That I don’t deserve to be happy.”

“No. Don’t think that. Don’t ever think that.”

“Every time I fall in love it ends badly, Jason. First Aristodamos, then Icarus, now-”

Pythagoras abruptly cut off whatever he was about to say. 

Jason felt an almost overwhelming surge of protective anger. Aristodamos? Was that the first guy, the one in Samos? But more importantly...

“What do you mean? There’s someone you love now?” He hesitated. “Has someone done something to hurt you?”

“Forget I mentioned it.”

“It’s okay. You can tell me. I won’t tell Hercules, if you’re afraid he’s going to say something.”

Jason felt a hand shoving at his chest as Pythagoras tried to pull out of his hold. Jason refused to let go.

“Forget it, Jason.” Pythagoras sounded... angry? 

His efforts to break out of Jason’s arms became more frantic and Jason released him. Pythagoras pushed himself away and scrubbed at his face with his sleeve, refusing to meet Jason’s eye. Abruptly he stood up, but he wavered and almost stumbled over his own feet.

“Are you okay?”

Pythagoras put a hand out and steadied himself against the wall. Then he started heading for the door. Jason saw immediately that he was weaving badly. That would probably be the flagon and a half of wine, almost certainly on an empty stomach. 

“Slow down,” Jason warned, scrambling to stand up and be ready in case his friend fell. 

“Uhhhh. I don’t feel...”

Pythagoras seemed to be aiming for the table, possibly looking for support, but instead he crashed into it. Before Jason could get to him Pythagoras shoved himself off the table, his legs seemed to tangle, and he stumbled and dropped to his knees. Then he threw up.

Jason winced. He approached slowly, avoiding the splatter pattern on the floorboards, and put his hand on Pythagoras’ shoulder.

“Better out than in?” he suggested. 

Pythagoras coughed and retched and then threw up again. 

Jason stepped back out of the way, and started gently rubbing his friend’s back while Pythagoras alternately retched and mumbled apologies. 

When he was sure it had stopped, Jason went in search of fresh water and cloths. Pythagoras was still kneeling on the floor, looking thoroughly miserable, when Jason came back.

“Sorry,” he mumbled again. 

Pythagoras grabbed hold of the table and tried to pull himself up. Jason caught his arm and guided him to the nearest chair and didn’t let go until he was sure Pythagoras wasn’t going to fall again.

“Okay, let’s have a look at you.” 

He gave Pythagoras a cup of water to wash his mouth out. Then, ignoring the puddle of vomit on the floor, Jason wet one of the cloths and wiped his friend’s face and hands, before he turned his attention to his shirt. Jason dabbed at the new stains for a minute, and then wrinkled his nose.

“I hate to say this, but I think we need to lose the shirt.”

Pythagoras had been staring at his lap, probably more out of sheer mortified embarrassment than anything else, but at Jason’s words his head came up and he stared at Jason with wide eyes and a distinct rabbit in headlights look.

“What?”

“Come on. I think it needs soaking overnight or something. At the very least you need to change.”

Without waiting for the inevitable protest, Jason took Pythagoras’ belt off, and tugged at the tunic, trying to avoid touching the bits that were covered in vomit. Pythagoras stopped resisting after a couple of feeble shoves, and co-operated enough to let Jason take his tunic off and dump it on the table. 

Pythagoras’ normally pale skin looked flushed, but Jason guessed that was either from the alcohol, or the embarrassment, or both. Either way, there was no point drawing attention to it, not when it would probably just make him feel even worse, so Jason ignored it. He tried to keep up a positive monologue as he draped Pythagoras’ arm around his shoulders and helped his friend to his bedroom and settled him into bed.

“I’m sorry,” Pythagoras mumbled. He closed his eyes and threw an arm over his face.

“Stop apologising. It’s not like you haven’t done this for Hercules a million times.” Jason tried to keep his tone light. “But I think you should lie on your side. Just in case.”

He helped Pythagoras roll over and Jason arranged him in some approximation of the recovery position. He didn’t think there was going to be any more vomit, but he wasn’t prepared to take the risk.

Pythagoras closed his eyes and finally seemed to be drifting off to sleep. His lips moved but there was no sound. Jason recognised his own name.

“It’s okay, I’m still here.”

He had been about to go and deal with the mess, preferably before Hercules came home. Instead he sat down on the floor beside the bed. On an impulse, Jason reached out and stroked his friend’s hair. Pythagoras gave a soft hum that sounded more content and relaxed than he had been all evening.

Jason watched Pythagoras as he settled, and absently wondered about the identity of the bastard who was breaking his friend’s heart this time.

  


[full size version here](http://ic.pics.livejournal.com/deinonychus_1/13170103/245372/245372_original.jpg)

More gorgeous artwork by kat_lair


	6. Of Triangles and Destiny

“Do you think I am wasting my time with all this work on triangles?”

Jason turned so quickly he practically gave himself whiplash.

“What? Why would you even say that?”

Pythagoras huffed and picked at a loose thread on his sleeve.

“Hercules thinks I’m wasting my time. And even you roll your eyes every time I talk about it.”

“So what? It’s never bothered you before.”

At least, Jason _hoped_ it had never bothered him. Pythagoras had always taken their gentle teasing in good spirits. Or at least that was what it looked like.

“It doesn’t bother me. Not really. But it does make me think, sometimes. What use is it? I have always found triangles and mathematics and geometry utterly fascinating, and I would happily spend hours researching and experimenting for nothing more than the simple pleasure of it. But it won’t get me a job. It won’t put food on the table.” He sighed and tugged at the thread until it snapped. “Sometimes I wonder if it will ever be worth anything.”

Jason gaped at him. Pythagoras, the man whose name would be associated with triangles for thousands of years... was talking about giving up on triangles?

Seemingly oblivious to Jason’s shock, Pythagoras frowned at the thread in his fingers. 

“Sometimes even _I_ think I might be wasting my time. I wonder what there can possibly be to discover that hasn’t already been found by men far better than me. And even if I did come across something important, who would even listen to me? Who would read my work? The only thing I am known for is being the unfortunate person who hangs around with the famous Jason and the _in_ famous Hercules.”

Jason couldn’t listen to this for another second. He knelt in front of Pythagoras and grabbed his shoulders. Pythagoras looked up, his eyes wide and surprised.

“Listen to me, Pythagoras. Don’t ever think that. What you are doing is important. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise. No matter how silly or pointless people think it is, you must not believe them. Do you understand?”

It was Pythagoras’ turn to stare in shock. 

“Why?” he breathed.

_Because if you don’t history will be completely rewritten and the whole of the space time continuum might implode._

“Because... because I believe you have a great destiny. I believe your work will be important, and will be remembered.”

“You have said that before, when you took the black stone. But how can you possibly _know_ that, Jason?”

“I can’t explain it. Just trust me, okay?”

Jason squeezed Pythagoras’ shoulders. He was suddenly aware that his heart was pounding in his chest. 

“I do trust you. You know I do. But sometimes...”

Pythagoras stopped and bit his lip. He never broke eye contact with Jason, though, and right at that moment Jason couldn’t have looked away if his life depended on it. 

He didn’t want to ask, but the words escaped on a breath.

“But sometimes what?” 

“The things you know. The things you can do. All the things you say you cannot explain. Sometimes-” he broke off again and abruptly gave Jason a smile that was all nervous show. “Let’s say I am glad that you are my friend and not my enemy.”

All of Jason’s thoughts slammed to a stop. He realised he was all but pinning Pythagoras against the wall and he let go as his head dropped. Shit. _Shit_.

“Jason? Jason, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean... I’m sorry.”

Jason rocked back on his heels to stand up but Pythagoras grabbed the front of his shirt and held him where he was. Pythagoras’ other hand caught Jason’s chin and forced him to look up and meet the other man’s gaze.

“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said that. Jason, you are my friend and I trust you and it doesn’t matter where you came from or what you can do.”

There was nothing but apologetic sincerity in his friend’s blue eyes, and Jason wanted to believe him so much. 

He wanted to, but he couldn’t.

“Jason, please believe me. Yes, I admit that I would like to understand more about you. If one day you decided to tell me about yourself then I would love to listen. But even if you never choose to share anything about your past that does not change how I feel about you. I trust you, and you are my friend, and I care about you.”

Jason had no idea what to say. No idea what he could do to put this right. And how had they ended up in a situation where Jason was the one keeping all the secrets, and yet Pythagoras was the one apologising? 

For one tiny moment Jason felt the words forming in his head. How difficult would it be to just say it? _I’m from another world. I’m from the future and that’s how I know all this crazy shit that you don’t understand._

“Pythagoras, I...” _Say it, say it, say it._ “I... I’m sorry,” Jason said.

Shit, he was such a bloody coward. 

Pythagoras smiled again, and this time it was a genuine smile. The one that reached his eyes and never failed to make Jason feel warm and safe and wanted. Jason offered a tentative smile in return. Abruptly, Pythagoras seemed to realise that he was still holding onto the front of Jason’s shirt, and he let go so quickly that Jason almost lost his balance and had to put a hand out to stop himself ending up on his backside on the floor. 

“So much for my brilliant reflexes,” Jason commented with a sheepish smile. “Remind me, how did we even get to this?” 

Pythagoras’ brow furrowed for a moment. “Triangles,” he eventually said. “Triangles and destiny.”

Oh, yes. The little matter of not screwing up the space-time continuum by changing history. 

“Triangles. Yes. That’s what I was saying. You need to stick with it, because I know how important triangles are to you. Because you without triangles is like... like Hercules without wine. Like day without night. Like Laurel without Hardy.”

“What?”

“Never mind.” Jason grinned at him. “Just trust me, okay? You can’t give up.”

Pythagoras’ brow furrowed in confusion, and Jason could almost see that ridiculously big brain of his working things out.

“Listen,” Jason tried again. “Forget destiny. Forget what anyone else thinks about it. There are two good reasons that outweigh everything else, and those are that triangles are more important to you than anything else, and that working on them makes you happy. I can’t think of any better reason than that to do something.”

That was met with a raised eyebrow, but Pythagoras nodded and his mouth twitched into a smile.

“Sometimes you can be surprisingly wise, Jason.”

“Surprisingly? Oh, thanks.”

Pythagoras chuckled. 

“You know what I mean. Sometimes you talk complete nonsense, but sometimes you are wise. I think what you have said in the last few minutes actually covers both of those options.”

Jason laughed with him, mostly because he was just happy to see his friend relaxed and smiling again. But still, maybe it was time to change the subject entirely. This conversation was too dangerous. 

“We should probably start thinking about food. Hercules will be home soon.”

Jason stood up and held a hand out to Pythagoras, and hauled him to his feet. Jason turned and headed towards the main room, but Pythagoras didn’t follow him. 

“You were wrong about something, Jason.” 

Pythagoras’ voice was suddenly quite serious, and Jason stopped and turned to look at him. He was frowning, like he was trying to work something out. 

“What?”

“There are some things that I believe are more important than triangles.”

“Really? What things?”

At that moment, Jason’s stomach rumbled loudly. Pythagoras rolled his eyes.

“Well, right now, I think dinner is more important than triangles.”

He headed into the main room, and Jason watched him go. The timeline of history had been saved, but he couldn’t help wondering what he might have said if he wasn’t such a coward. Or what Pythagoras might have said if they had not been interrupted.


	7. Window Shopping

“Pythagoras, can I ask you something?”

Pythagoras turned from where he was leaning on the balcony and gave Jason a quizzical look.

“You can, and frequently do, ask me many things.”

Jason wandered over and leaned against the balcony frame beside him.

“Do you fancy the guy on the fish stall?”

Pythagoras gave him that look he did so well, the one with the raised eyebrows and the slightly bemused expression.

“You mean Diomedes?” 

Jason grinned. 

“Now, see, you know his name. That’s more than I do.”

“My knowing someone’s name leads you to believe that I... fancy... them?”

“No. You spending half the afternoon ogling him while I do practically all the shopping by myself leads me to believe that you fancy him.”

Pythagoras turned and leaned on the balcony and looked out over the city again, but Jason could see that he was smiling.

“I will admit that he is attractive. And perhaps I was paying more attention to the aesthetic qualities of his upper arm muscles than I was to the shopping. But I would not go so far as to say that I ‘fancied him’.”

Jason’s grin just got bigger. 

“I knew it!”

It had taken Jason a while to work out what was so distracting Pythagoras on their shopping trip earlier that day, but once he had seen the man (Diomedes, apparently), and the way Pythagoras kept looking at him, it had suddenly all made sense. And what had Pythagoras said in that conversation a month or so ago? That he liked them tall and dark? Oh yeah, the guy on the fish stall fitted that type perfectly.

Jason hadn’t said anything at the time, not in so public a place as the market, but now they were home he couldn’t help himself. 

“I’m not entirely sure why you find this so amusing,” Pythagoras said.

Jason clapped him on the shoulder.

“I’m not laughing. I’m happy for you. It’s good.”

Pythagoras threw him another one of those bemused looks.

“Me having yet another wholly unrequited attraction to someone makes you happy?”

Now it was Jason who frowned.

“Who said it was unrequited? Have you tried talking to him?”

Pythagoras sighed.

“I don’t need to. And I don’t want to.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“It means that even _if_ he likes men, which is unlikely, the chance of him looking twice at me is so remote that it is not worth the risk. Besides which, just because I enjoy the view, does not mean I want to sample the merchandise.” He frowned. “And I am not entirely certain that metaphor worked the way I intended.”

Jason wasn’t sure which part of that statement to tackle first. 

“You haven’t even tried and yet you’ve already convinced yourself that he won’t be interested?”

“I _know_ he isn’t interested because he has shown absolutely no interest on any of the occasions that I have bought fish from him.”

Jason couldn’t help but notice that Pythagoras suddenly sounded defensive, his good humour slipping away with every moment. 

“I didn’t mean to upset you,” Jason said, somewhat more subdued than he had been a few minutes earlier.

“You didn’t upset me. But I think perhaps you misunderstood. Yes, Diomedes is attractive. Yes, I enjoy looking at him, but that is as far as it goes. I have no wish to start a relationship with him, and that has nothing to do with me assuming that he will reject me, and everything to do with the fact that I am simply not interested in him in that way.” He paused and gave Jason a rather lopsided smile. “To tell you the truth, on the few occasions we have spoken, I found him to be quite boring.”

Jason returned his smile. 

“So it needs to be tall, dark and _interesting_. I’ll bear that in mind.”

“Jason, why are you so obsessed with my love life?”

“I’m not!”

Pythagoras just gave him a look of disbelief.

“I’m not. Really. I just...” He tried to work out what he wanted to say. “None of us seem to have much luck in that department. It would be nice if at least _one_ of us was happy.”

Pythagoras’ expression softened at that, and Jason suddenly felt a warmth spreading through him that had very little to do with the early evening sun. 

Then Pythagoras frowned again. 

“So if I understand correctly... you think a pretty but boring man who perpetually stinks of fish would make me happy?”

Jason’s face fell. “Oh. I um...”

Pythagoras started to laugh and a moment later Jason joined him. Pythagoras slung an arm around Jason and pulled him close.

“Idiot,” he said, still chuckling.

Jason knew he was probably flushed bright red, but he hugged Pythagoras back.

“Not fair. I was trying to help.”

“I know,” Pythagoras said. “And I do appreciate it. Perhaps if all I wanted was a quickie in an alleyway I might have tried harder with him, but the truth is I am not interested in that sort of relationship. I want... I want something more meaningful. Something that is real.”

Jason opened his mouth to reply, but before he could find the right words an image popped into his mind of Pythagoras being shoved against an alley wall by Diomedes the fish seller, being kissed, being groped. Something curled in Jason’s belly that was neither warm nor happy at the thought. He felt... protective. Possessive, even. No, Jason was suddenly quite certain that he didn’t want the pretty fish seller anywhere _near_ Pythagoras. 

And what the fuck was all that about?

“I’m sorry,” Pythagoras said softly, his breath tickling Jason’s cheek. “That was probably more information than you really wanted.”

Jason wrapped his arms tighter around Pythagoras and pressed his nose into the other man’s hair.

“No. It’s fine. And you know what? One day you are going to have it. One day you will find someone who wants you, because you are brilliant and amazing. One day you will find someone who makes you happy again.”

Pythagoras’ breath caught for a second. He whispered something on the exhale that Jason couldn’t hear, but the arms around him squeezed gently. 

It began to occur to Jason that he was not entirely sure what was going on here any more. The only thing he did know for certain was that the next time they went to the market, they were buying their fish from a different stall.


	8. Worrying

“Do you want me to do something with that shoulder for you?”

Jason was about to refuse, but he made the mistake of attempting to reach for a candle on the table, and winced as a spasm of pain shot through his shoulder and down his arm again.

Pythagoras obviously saw it. 

“Sit down,” Pythagoras said. “And don’t move.”

Jason did as he was told and sat at the table in the balcony room. It would be dark soon, and he had intended to light the candles before night-time proper set in, but the truth was he could barely move his left arm, and anything that required two hands was becoming increasingly tricky as his shoulder had seized up over the last few hours.

Pythagoras came back with an armful of jars and bottles and set them on the table.

“Do you need a hand getting your top off?”

“No.”

Jason struggled with it for a minute.

“Maybe,” he amended sheepishly. 

Pythagoras just rolled his eyes and helped get his shirt off without jostling his shoulder any more than was necessary.

“It’s not actually bruised,” Pythagoras said, apparently more to himself than to Jason. “But considering the way you have been acting for the last few hours I suspect it must be sprained, at least.”

“It’s a bit stiff,” Jason admitted. “And it hurts whe- Ow!”

“Sorry,” Pythagoras froze with his fingers still pressed against the back of Jason’s shoulder. “Too hard?”

“A bit.”

Jason braced himself against the table with his right arm, and tried to stay quiet as Pythagoras gently probed and investigated the injury. 

“I’m going to rub some salve into it. It ought to help loosen the muscles, or at least stop them from stiffening any further.”

Jason nodded. Lots and lots of experience had taught him to just let Pythagoras get on with it when it came to dealing with injuries and ailments. Even without the benefits of 21st century medicine, Jason was always impressed by how much his friend could actually achieve just with his potions and herbal remedies.

He watched Pythagoras take a generous dollop of an oily looking paste, and wrinkled his nose at the sharp scent. He winced again when Pythagoras started massaging it into his shoulder.

“Sorry. I’m afraid there is no way of doing this that won’t hurt a little. I’ll try to be as gentle as I can.”

“I know you will. Thanks.”

“I think you should avoid sword practice for a few days as well.”

“That’s not going to help the next time we get attacked by bandits.”

“Neither will you putting your arm out of action for several weeks if you damage it further.”

Pythagoras sounded annoyed, and Jason tried to glance round and look at him, but couldn’t twist far enough without it hurting.

“Keep still.”

“You’re bossy tonight,” Jason commented, keeping his gaze firmly on the table in front of him.

“And you’re stubborn as usual.” 

Pythagoras continued rubbing the salve into Jason’s shoulder, his fingers working methodically and carefully, continually adjusting the pressure in response to Jason’s reactions. 

“Maybe I could sit and watch while you practice instead,” Jason said. He wanted to keep talking to distract himself from the pain.

Pythagoras snorted. “Me? Sword practice?”

“You should. You’re putting yourself in danger along with the rest of us every time we go out. You should be better at defending yourself.” Jason paused. “I worry, sometimes, that I might not be fast enough to get to you if you’re in trouble.”

For a moment Pythagoras’ fingers stilled against Jason’s skin. 

“You always have so far.”

“So far, yes. What happens when I don’t? You need to be able to fight better.”

Pythagoras began to work again, this time pressing his thumbs into the muscles around the injury. Jason tensed, expecting another sharp spasm, and was surprised when all he felt was a persistent ache. 

“I’m really not sure that’s my strong point,” Pythagoras pointed out.

“Exactly. Which is why you need to practice. I’ll work with you. You don’t need to turn into a great warrior anything. Just be able to defend yourself long enough for me or Hercules to get to you.”

“Perhaps.”

Jason decided it was probably time to drop the subject. He would try again later, maybe when Hercules was around. He was sure Pythagoras wouldn’t be able to withstand both of them arguing for it. 

It took him a minute or two to realise that Pythagoras had stopped focussing on his injured shoulder and was now gently massaging Jason’s neck and back. His fingers seemed to unerringly seek out all the tight muscles and then relentlessly worked to loosen them. Jason opened his mouth to speak up and say it wasn’t necessary, that he had done enough already, but right then Pythagoras’ skilful hands ran up and down his spine and Jason couldn’t contain a soft moan of pleasure.

Pythagoras only hesitated for a second, and then did it again, eventually settling his hands on Jason’s neck and upper back. He began to work again, and Jason felt the tension melt away. With all thoughts of protest gone, his eyes slid closed and he let his head drop forwards to give Pythagoras easier access.

“You’re not the only one who worries, you know,” Pythagoras said in a soft voice. “You are always throwing yourself into danger without a thought. Sometimes I can’t help but fear what might happen if one day you are injured beyond my ability to heal.”

Oh, that was not fair, saying something like that when Jason was so relaxed and comfortable.

“I’ll be fine,” he mumbled.

Pythagoras replied with a noncommittal hum. He was rubbing small circles at the base of Jason’s skull now, and it was sending wonderful warm sensations through his body. Jason could have quite happily fallen asleep right there. 

“I’ll be careful,” Jason offered.

“No, you won’t,” Pythagoras said. “We both know you won’t because you can’t stop yourself if you think you have to dive into a fight to protect someone. I have accepted that. It doesn’t stop me worrying, though.”

“Sorry,” Jason mumbled. 

Pythagoras huffed a small laugh. 

“Between you and Hercules, I fear you will send me prematurely grey.”

Jason chuckled at that. Pythagoras ran his hands along Jason’s shoulders again, his touch feather-light across the injured left shoulder, and then he stepped away. Jason barely managed to prevent himself from whimpering when he realised the massage had stopped. 

“How does it feel now?”

Jason forced himself to open his eyes and look up. He thought he must have lost track of time, because the room was darker than he remembered it being when Pythagoras had started examining his shoulder. Pythagoras was wiping the last of the oily salve from his hands with a cloth. He looked a little flushed, but maybe it was just the poor light.

Jason tentatively moved his shoulder. Still sore, but nowhere near as bad as it had been.

“Better. Good, actually. Thank you.”

Pythagoras just smiled. 

“Don’t do anything silly until it has healed properly. I’ll have another look at it tomorrow.”

“You should let me do that for you sometime,” Jason said, the words coming out before he actually thought about it.

Pythagoras frowned. 

“I’m not the one with the strain injuries, usually.”

“No. I mean the other bit.” 

Pythagoras might not get injured as regularly, but he _did_ need to relax more. The more Jason thought about it, the more he was warming to the idea. Having Pythagoras shirtless and stretched out beneath him, Jason running his hands over that pale skin until their resident genius finally stopped thinking so hard and just chilled out. 

“Oh. I, um... That would be nice,” Pythagoras said. He looked oddly flustered. But possibly not as flustered as Jason suddenly felt right then. 

Jason tried to smile, but after a moment he couldn’t meet Pythagoras’ eye any longer. _Shit_. The last time he’d had thoughts like that... no, there was no way he could look at Pythagoras with that image still in his head.

It was almost a relief when Pythagoras gathered up his bottles and jars and went to put them away. As soon as he was out of the room, Jason let himself have a tiny little panic.

This was _not_ good.


	9. First Time

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: This chapter contains reference to what Jason and modern audiences would consider to be an abusive, underage relationship, but which would not be considered inappropriate by Pythagoras or the customs of the time. The story itself contains nothing explicit, just mentions the past relationship.

“How old were you when you first kissed a girl?” Jason smirked. “Or boy.”

Pythagoras raised his eyebrows, but he looked amused.

“Really? This is what you want to talk about tonight?”

“Yes. You said it was my turn to choose the topic of conversation, and this is my choice.” He grinned and prodded Pythagoras with his foot. “So come on. How old?”

Pythagoras rolled his eyes but returned Jason’s smile.

“Thirteen. And the first time was girl.” He paused and looked thoughtful. “That was actually the last time I ever kissed a girl as well.”

“Really?” Jason sipped his wine. Hercules had found a particularly potent variety recently, and Jason suspected that the fact he was no longer _entirely_ sober was behind his ability to have this conversation tonight.

Pythagoras nodded but didn’t elaborate. He seemed lost in thought.

“So what about the first time you kissed a boy?”

“Fourteen.”

Jason had to admit he was impressed.

“So what’s it like? What’s the difference?”

“Between a girl and a boy? At that age, not a lot of difference at all to be honest.” Pythagoras shrugged. “I imagine there would be quite a lot of differences as an adult, but I’m afraid I don’t know.”

Jason watched his friend as he leaned back against the wall and cradled his cup of wine in his lap. Despite his initial reaction, he did not seem the least bit uncomfortable with the topic of discussion. If anything, he seemed faintly amused.

Jason had to admit that he may possibly have developed a slight fixation on Pythagoras’ love life. For so long he had believed Hercules’ jokes about Pythagoras only loving triangles, and Jason has simply assumed that Pythagoras really was as uninterested in physical relationships as Hercules liked to imply. 

Over the last few months, with everything he had learned about his friend, it was as if a whole new side to him had been revealed. No matter how much Pythagoras shared, Jason still wanted to know more. 

Okay,” Jason said, smirking slightly. “How old when you lost your virginity?”

Pythagoras rolled his eyes at that. 

“Really?”

“Yep. Come on, I need to know.” Jason figured he was probably pushing his luck, but what was the worst that could happen?

Pythagoras settled back and took a drink before he started to speak. 

“Fifteen. I was fifteen the first time.”

Pythagoras paused briefly, his eyes fixed on the cup in his hands.

“It was also the first time I fell in love.” He snorted, and it was not a happy sound. “At least, I thought it was love.”

Even through the alcohol-induced good mood, Jason was not oblivious to the sudden change in his friend. He began to get a bad feeling about this.

“I was twelve when I killed my father,” Pythagoras continued. “By the time I was fifteen I couldn’t stay there any longer. I went to Aristodamos. He was a scholar and man of science in the city, and I studied with him and lived with him at his school. At first there was another boy, older than me, but he soon left and it was just me and Aristodamos.” 

Aristo... that name sounded familiar, but Jason couldn’t remember where he had heard it before. The sense that this conversation might be a mistake was getting stronger, but before he could interrupt, Pythagoras was speaking again.

“He taught me mathematics and geometry, and it was a revelation, working with someone who cared about the same things that I was interested in. He made me feel like I wasn’t stupid for wanting to study them. He encouraged me. He praised my desire for knowledge and learning. No one had ever done that before.” Pythagoras played absently with the cup in his hands, his expression suggesting he was far away in his memories. “During the day he taught me about science and history and philosophy. And at night... well, at night he taught me other things.”

It took Jason a moment to fully understand what his friend meant. Had Pythagoras just admitted to losing his virginity at fifteen with his _teacher_? 

“Wait, _what?_ ”

Pythagoras frowned. 

“What’s wrong?”

“Are you telling me you slept with your teacher?” 

Christ. Jason had been expecting this to be about another student, some other maths geek who had come along and stolen his friend’s teenage heart. Not his bloody teacher.

Jason knew the shock must have shown on his face, because Pythagoras was staring at him and quite frankly looked mystified at Jason’s reaction.

“Pythagoras, don’t you get it? He was your teacher and he took advantage of you.”

Pythagoras shook his head.

“He didn’t take advantage of me. I wanted him. I thought he wanted me. He made me believe that I was special.” He stopped, and Jason saw his expression morph into something that looked a lot like self-contempt. “Until I turned seventeen. And then another, younger, student came along. Suddenly Aristodamos’ attention shifted to the new boy. He stopped flattering me. I wasn’t needed any more.”

“Pythagoras.” Jason had no idea what to say to that. What he _did_ know was that he wanted to punch this Aristodamos bastard.

Pythagoras let his head fall back against the wall. “I know what you’re thinking. I _know_. I was naive. I was a bloody idiot. It was never real. But it was to _me_. It was real to me, Jason. He was my first.”

Jason had no words. He wanted to rage. He wanted to make Pythagoras see how wrong that entire situation had been. He wanted to know how Pythagoras had turned out so kind and gentle and perfect, when he had spent half his childhood being fucked over by damn near every male authority figure in his life.

He said nothing, though. This was a different world, almost literally. They did things differently here. That didn’t make it right, and it didn’t make Jason any less angry, but there was no point pissing Pythagoras off by questioning what, to him, apparently seemed normal. Acceptable.

Bloody hell. 

“I suppose, in a way, I should be grateful,” Pythagoras suddenly said, breaking the silence. “If it hadn’t ended like that I might never have got on that boat to Atlantis. And despite everything, I will never regret that.”

“Because you met Icarus here?” 

He nodded. 

“And Hercules. And you.” 

He sighed and took another drink. Then he turned to Jason with a look that seemed determined to recover the good mood they had started the night with. 

“So, how old were you for your first kiss?” Pythagoras asked.

It took Jason a moment longer to shake off the righteous anger he was still feeling, and he stalled, taking another sip of wine while he forced himself to calm down. 

“Fourteen, I think.”

“Surely not! Jason with looks like yours I refuse to believe that no one was interested before then.”

For a moment, and with the lingering disquiet from Pythagoras’ story, Jason suspected that he was being mocked. He looked up, but the corners of Pythagoras’ mouth were turned up into a small, affectionate smile. Jason finally, properly relaxed. 

“I was a late developer,” he admitted. “I was actually a bit short and funny looking until a really impressive growth spurt when I was fifteen. After _that_ , I got a lot of interest.”

Pythagoras grinned. “I can’t imagine you looking anything other than perfectly handsome.”

“You’d be surprised,” Jason murmured. 

“So I take it that you have never kissed a man?” Pythagoras asked.

“Never. Well, not in a sexual or romantic way.” Jason tried to blank the memory of Hercules attempting to kiss him out in the desert that one time.

Pythagoras nodded, like he had suspected as much. Then when he did look back at Jason the expression on his face could only be described as... mischievous.

Jason suspected that he would have been worried if he hadn’t drunk so much wine already.

“So, how old were you when you lost your virginity?”

Jason groaned, but it was more for show than anything else.

“Oh, come on. You know all about mine. And besides, you started this.”

Jason laughed. He supposed Pythagoras had a point. It wasn’t something he usually shared because it wasn’t exactly a high point of his life, but this was Pythagoras. He wouldn’t laugh, he wouldn’t judge, and quite honestly, it wasn’t any worse than Pythagoras’ first time story. 

“Katie Johnson. I was seventeen, and she was in my class at sixth form college.” He caught the look of complete confusion on Pythagoras’ face, and amended it. “It’s a type of school where I’m from. For people who want to study further after they’ve had a basic education.”

Pythagoras nodded enthusiastically. 

“I take it she wasn’t the teacher?” Pythagoras asked with a wicked grin.

“Absolutely not,” Jason grinned back. “She was one of the popular girls. You know, the ones at the top of the social pecking order.”

“And I expect you were the most popular boy at this school.”

“Actually, no. Not at all. I was the quiet one. I never thought someone like Katie Johnson would look at me twice. But then there was a party round at someone’s house, and they must have been feeling generous because I got invited as well, and Katie was there, and there was a lot of alcohol involved.”

“This does not sound very romantic,” Pythagoras observed. 

Jason snorted. “It really wasn’t. Anyway, Katie was the one who came onto me, and I was flattered by the attention, and I’d had a few drinks so I didn’t see what was really going on at first. And I let her take me to one of the spare bedrooms and we... well, I don’t need to draw a diagram.”

Jason took another swig from his cup and realised it was empty. He frowned, waved it at Pythagoras until he poured some more, and Jason tried again. 

“So, all that was fine. I strutted into school on Monday thinking I was finally in with the popular crowd. But when I tried to talk to Katie she just blanked me. But she was the only one who _wasn’t_ looking at me and whispering whenever I walked past. And I couldn’t understand what was going on until I overheard some other girls talking about how Katie was bragging that she’d shagged the prettiest guy in school. And of course, she just _happened_ to let it slip that I’d been a virgin as well. ”

Pythagoras winced. 

“That’s all it was. She wasn’t even remotely interested. She just wanted another conquest to brag about. She wanted to be the first one to ‘bag the pretty one’.” He made little quotation marks in the air with his fingers, until he realised Pythagoras had no clue what that would mean.

Pythagoras patted his shoulder. “I’m sorry. You should have told me to shut up if you did not want to talk about this.”

“No, it’s fine,” Jason said quickly. “It was years ago. I don’t care any more. Yeah, it hurt at the time, but it’s not the end of the world. It just... I don’t know, made me wary. Made me second guess their motives every time anyone showed an interest. I suppose that explains why I never had a whole lot of long term relationships after that.”

“You cannot judge everyone by one person’s shallow standards.”

“I know. I know that. But it’s just...” Jason let his head fall back against the wall and closed his eyes.

“Jason?”

“You and Hercules make all these comments about my looks. You think it must be so easy for me because I look good. Like I could just snap my fingers and have anyone I wanted. God, Pythagoras, I wish it _was_ so easy.”

“Jason,” Pythagoras started, but Jason didn’t let him finish.

“You know, sometimes I wish I could find a way of telling whether someone really wants me, or whether they just want the status symbol of being with the pretty guy who also happens to be the famous slayer of the Minotaur and champion of the fucking arena. Like that’s the only thing I have to offer.”

“ _Jason_.” 

Jason’s eyes snapped open when he felt Pythagoras’ hand on his jaw, forcing him to turn and look at Pythagoras. Pythagoras was on his knees now, looming over Jason, right in his face.

“Listen to me Jason. You are so much more than just a pretty face. You always have been, and you always will be. Anyone who cannot see that is not worth wasting your time on. Trust me.”

Pythagoras’ eyes burned with an intensity that Jason couldn’t look away from, and he found himself nodding. Only when Pythagoras finally seemed happy that Jason had got the message he finally let go and sat back down, suddenly looking a little embarrassed.

Jason waited for his heart to slow down. That had been unexpected.

“Hercules would die laughing if he could hear us talking,” Jason said to distract himself from the moment.

“True. Which is why we always wait for him to go out before we have these conversations.” Pythagoras sighed. “I know sometimes we have touched upon things that we would normally avoid, but I for one am glad that we can talk like this. Much as I love Hercules, there are some things that I cannot talk to him about.”

Jason turned to look at Pythagoras, curious. Pythagoras wasn’t meeting his eye, though. Jason decided that had to be deliberate. 

“Me too,” he finally said. “He’d still piss himself laughing, though. Especially if he knew that out of the two of us, _you’re_ the one with the most successful long term relationships.”

Pythagoras, the man who was so socially awkward that for a while Jason had all but convinced himself the man might even still be a virgin. Pythagoras, the man who, unlike Jason, was not afraid to give his heart completely to another, no matter how much he risked by doing so.

“You said yourself that you have had many relationships with women.”

“No, I said I had flings. I had casual relationships that lasted a couple of weeks, maybe a month or two. Maybe it’s a good thing that it never worked out with me and Ariadne. Imagine if I’d finally got to be with her, and then it had all fallen apart after a month because I’m just shit at relationships. Somehow I don’t think breaking the heart of the heir to the throne of Atlantis would be a great long term survival strategy.”

“That is quite a good point,” Pythagoras said. 

Jason turned to look at him, and saw that Pythagoras was smirking again. 

Jason felt himself begin to smile, and then they were both laughing together.

“I think I’m just doomed when it comes to women,” Jason said finally, as they calmed down and he caught his breath. “Hey, maybe you’ve got the right idea. Maybe I should try men instead.”

Pythagoras had just taken a mouthful of wine, which was a mistake because at Jason’s words he spluttered most of it back out into his hand and started coughing and choking. Jason slapped his back until he caught his breath again.

“ _What?_ ” Pythagoras eventually managed. “I don’t think it’s that easy, you know. You said yourself you have never had any interest in men.”

“That’s not _technically_ true,” Jason said, wondering even as he spoke whether this was a good idea. 

Pythagoras just stared at him, his mouth open in a little ‘oh’, his eyes wide and an expression of utter shock on his face.

Jason wondered if that was what he had looked like the day that he had learned Pythagoras was gay. He rather hoped not, it looked bloody silly.

“Jason, tell me everything,” Pythagoras demanded, having apparently regained the ability to speak.

“There’s not a lot to tell.”

“Oh no. You don’t get away with that. If you do not tell me, then I will be forced to torture it out of you.”

Jason couldn’t help an amused incredulous look at that.

“Pythagoras, you couldn’t torture someone if your life depended on it.”

Pythagoras paused. Then that mischievous grin was back.

“Maybe not, but I could talk triangles at you all night. Hercules has often said that is worse than any form of torture he can imagine.”

Jason held his hand up in mock surrender. “No! Not the triangles! Please!”

He joked, but in truth, he liked to listen to Pythagoras talking about triangles and mathematics. He didn’t actually understand most of what he said, but that didn’t matter, because what he enjoyed was the way Pythagoras talked about it, the way his eyes lit up and he got so enthusiastic and passionate and excited until the words started to fall over themselves. In truth, Jason just liked seeing Pythagoras happy. But he wasn’t going to say that out loud.

Pythagoras settled down again, watching him intently. It was slightly unnerving.

Jason hesitated and tried to gather his thoughts. Then he began to tell Pythagoras something he had never shared with anyone, ever. 

“It was a few years ago. He was called Daniel, and he was someone I met while I was working with my uncle Mac on the boats. Daniel was interested in all the same things as me – sailing, diving, marine archaeology. We hit it off pretty much straight away. We became close friends.”

Jason paused as he remembered those days that summer. The days out on the water together any chance they could get, the evenings drinking beer and eating pizza and heckling crappy films, and talking until the early hours. 

He realised he was smiling to himself. 

“It took me a while to realise that I was having, well, _thoughts_ about him. Slightly more than platonic thoughts. Eventually thoughts turned into fantasies.”

Jason glanced at Pythagoras. The man was watching him intently, apparently captivated. 

“What happened?” Pythagoras asked, when Jason stayed quiet for too long. “Did you tell him how you felt?”

“Hell no. Pythagoras, I was terrified. I did exactly the opposite of telling him – I started to distance myself from him, because I had no idea how to handle it. Eventually he gave up on trying to find out what was wrong with me and we drifted apart.”

Jason turned away and downed the rest of his wine, because it was easier than seeing the look of pity on Pythagoras’ face.

“Oh, Jason. I’m sorry.”

“I told you I was bloody useless at relationships. I don’t even know what was going on that summer. I’d never felt that way about a guy before. I’d spent my entire life thinking I was only interested in women, because that’s what was expected of me. No matter how supposedly liberated my land was, the default expectation of most of society was that I should want women, and I had never had cause to question that until I met Daniel. And when I did question it, the answer scared me so fucking much that I ran away.”

Pythagoras was nodding, and Jason could see the understanding in his eyes. Yeah, he knew exactly what Jason was talking about. Except for the part about being too scared to act on it. It was ironic, Jason reflected. For all that people claimed he, Jason, was a hero, when it came to matters of the heart, Pythagoras was probably the bravest man Jason had ever known. 

“Jason, it’s not your fault. To discover something so unexpected when you are already grown and confident in your beliefs about yourself, that must be quite shocking and confusing. I knew my preference for men when I was young, and I was still experimenting. I can’t imagine what it must have been like for you.” He hesitated, and when he spoke again, there was something in his eyes that Jason couldn’t place. “Perhaps if it happens again, you will be able to accept it more easily. It won’t be such a shock. Perhaps... you might consider acting on it.”

Jason made a noncommittal noise. _Perhaps_. 

“How did we even start talking about this, anyway?” Jason said. He couldn’t deal with being under such scrutiny any longer. He didn’t want to hear whatever words of comfort or understanding Pythagoras might try to speak. He wanted to go back to the good mood they had started the night with.

“You insisted on talking about first kisses,” Pythagoras pointed out. 

“Oh yeah.”

Pythagoras seemed strangely disappointed at the change of subject. Jason guessed he probably had a thousand questions he wanted to ask now. Questions that Jason wasn’t ready to answer, and he knew how much of a hypocrite that made him after the way he had grilled Pythagoras about his love life recently, but he just couldn’t right now.

“You know what is sad?” Jason said, more thinking out loud than anything. “I think the last person who kissed me was Hercules. When we were on the way to Helios.”

Pythagoras smiled. Then pulled a face.

“Actually I think Hercules was the last person who kissed me as well. When you were cursed and I’d just discovered the cure.”

“That doesn’t count, though, right? It wasn’t a proper kiss.” Because if it did count, that was a pretty horrifying reflection on the state of both their love lives.

Pythagoras chuckled. 

“If it bothers you so much then no, it probably doesn’t count.”

Jason pouted.

“That’s not fair. Now you’re just humouring me.”

Pythagoras put on a mock patronising expression and patted Jason’s arm.

“Yes Jason, of course I am.”

An idea began to form in Jason’s brain. He grinned.

“You know what we need to do? We need to kiss each other.”

Pythagoras spluttered his wine across the room for the second time that night.

“ _What?_ ”

The idea was gaining momentum the more Jason thought about it, no doubt aided by the wine. This was a _fantastic_ plan. 

“Yeah. That way, Hercules won’t be the last person that we both kissed. And what you were saying about me getting used to the idea of having non-platonic thoughts about men. Well, you’re a guy and you know all about kissing men because you’re totally gay, so if I kiss you and it’s all right then I’ll know it won’t be a complete turn off if I do ever fancy another bloke. It’s a win-win situation.”

And if it meant he got to kiss Pythagoras as well, that was just a bonus, right?

He grinned at Pythagoras. Pythagoras stared back at him with an expression that couldn’t seem to decide whether it wanted to be shock or pure blind panic. 

“Oh, come on, Pythagoras. It’s fine.”

He put his wine down and contemplated the best way to do it.

“Don’t you think you should wait until it’s someone who you really care about? It won’t be the same. In fact, it would be completely different. I don’t think-”

“Don’t be ridiculous. Of course I care about you. And it’s not like we’re going to have sex or anything. It’s just a kiss.”

Before Pythagoras could come up with any other silly reasons to object, Jason closed the distance in one swift movement and ended up on his knees straddling Pythagoras’ legs. He plucked the cup from Pythagoras’ hand and put it down. Jason traced Pythagoras’ jaw with his finger, tilted his head up to make the angle easier, and then he leaned down and kissed him.

Pythagoras made a tiny whining sound and froze utterly beneath him. Through his alcohol-induced confidence, it began to occur to Jason that Pythagoras was possibly not entirely on board with this idea. He hesitated, their mouths still touching. 

“Pythagoras?” he breathed. He wasn’t even sure what he was asking.

Without any warning, Pythagoras pressed up towards him and his mouth opened and he was kissing Jason back. Jason might have been the one who started this but he was suddenly aware that he was no longer the one in control. All he could do was go with it as Pythagoras pushed, probed, encouraged Jason to open his mouth as well, and... Oh. Oh god. 

Pythagoras’ hand burrowed deep into Jason’s hair and held him in place. It was completely unnecessary; Jason couldn’t have stopped or pulled away if his life depended on it. He closed his eyes and followed where Pythagoras led him.

When they finally parted Jason was the one who whined, although it took him a moment to even realise he was the one who had made the sound. He tried to breathe again and opened his eyes and pulled back enough so that he could look at Pythagoras properly.

What he saw almost took his breath a second time.

Pythagoras’ blue eyes gazed at him with utterly unguarded hope and lust and lo-

Oh. 

_Oh._

The realisation must have shown in his expression because Pythagoras closed his eyes and turned away and made a choked sound.

“Pythagoras,” Jason breathed. 

“No.”

“Pythagoras.”

Jason had no idea what he wanted to say. 

“Please get off me.”

Pythagoras’ voice was so quiet Jason almost didn’t hear him.

“Pythagoras, I...” He still had no bloody idea what to say because it wasn’t supposed to happen like this. 

“Get. Off. Me.”

Pythagoras was refusing to look at him, but there was no mistaking the barely contained anger in his voice. Jason scrambled backwards, but their legs were still half tangled when Pythagoras surged upright and tried to get to his feet.

“Pythagoras. Wait. Please. I-” 

“I’m sorry, I have to-”

Pythagoras all but ran from the room. Jason stared after him, unable to move from the spot. The outer door slammed, and suddenly Jason was very, very sober.

Oh, fuck. 

Jason closed his eyes and pulled his knees up to his chest and covered his face with his hands.

Well, that answered the question of who was the latest bastard to have broken Pythagoras’ heart.

  


[Full size version here](http://ic.pics.livejournal.com/deinonychus_1/13170103/245758/245758_original.jpg)

More gorgeous artwork by kat_lair


	10. Protective Instincts

“Right, what’s going on with you and Pythagoras?”

Jason jumped in shock and looked round from where he was leaning on the balcony and staring out at the city.

Hercules was stood in the doorway, blocking it entirely. Jason couldn’t help but wonder if that was deliberate. 

The older man did not look happy.

“Nothing,” Jason protested immediately.

Hercules just glared at him for several disconcerting seconds. Then he sighed, walked into the room and sat down at the table, and indicated for Jason to sit down opposite. Jason walked over on legs made from lead. He knew exactly what this was about, and he really, _really_ did not want to have this conversation. Nevertheless, Jason did as he was told and sat down.

“Right,” Hercules repeated. “Let’s try again, and this time don’t lie to me. What’s going on with you and Pythagoras?”

Jason took a moment to collect his thoughts. The truth was, he had been asking himself the same question every waking hour since last night, and he still had no idea what the answer was.

“Honestly? I don’t entirely know.”

Hercules just watched him, and the silence from his normally talkative friend was unnerving. 

“I think... I don’t know, but I think maybe...” Jason paused and propped his elbows on the table and scrubbed his face with his hands. “No, let me start again. Last night, something happened. I wasn’t expecting it. I mean, I had no idea he felt- If I’d had any idea at all I wouldn’t have done it.”

“Done what?”

Jason still had his face in his hands when he replied.

“I kissed him.” 

He paused and forced himself to look up at Hercules. He had half expected Hercules to be angry, but mostly he just looked world weary. 

“I was drunk. It was supposed to be a bit of fun. I didn’t know, Hercules. I never intended to hurt him, or to make him feel uncomfortable.”

“Good. Because much as I like you, Jason, if you _do_ hurt him, we’re going to have a problem.”

Jason’s eyes widened. Oh, god. Were they really doing this? Was _Hercules_ giving him the ‘if you hurt him’ talk? It would have been funny if the thought of actually hurting Pythagoras wasn’t so distressing right then.

Jason breathed deeply and tried to gather his thoughts. 

“Have you talked to him?” Jason asked. Then the more important question. “Is he okay?”

Hercules’ expression softened a touch. 

“I didn’t need to talk to him. It’s obvious he’s upset about something. And the fact that neither of you seem to be capable of being in the same room at the same time as each other was a pretty big clue that whatever was wrong, it was between the two of you.”

If Hercules was trying to make him feel terrible, he was succeeding. Pythagoras had left the house as soon as Jason got up that morning, and when they had run into each other again in the afternoon they had barely managed to string together a few sentences of awkward conversation before Pythagoras had disappeared again, muttering something about the market, despite the fact that their shelves were already full of food. 

Jason suddenly wondered just how much Hercules already knew about the situation. He didn’t think Pythagoras would have talked to Hercules about his feelings, but the two of them were so close anything was possible.

“Did you know?”

“Know what, Jason?”

How the hell could he say it? To actually voice his suspicions out loud just sounded incredibly self-centred. What if he was wrong? What if he’d misread it entirely and Pythagoras was just embarrassed by what had happened? 

“Jason?” Hercules prompted.

Oh well, here we go.

“I think he’s attracted to me. In a ‘more than platonic’ sort of way.”

Hercules’ eyebrows went up and he actually chuckled.

“By the gods, you two are bloody idiots, the pair of you. You’re an oblivious idiot, and he’s a lovesick idiot, and I haven’t got a clue what to do with either of you.”

“I didn’t know,” Jason said in a quiet voice. In any other circumstance, this ought to have been a good thing, but not like this. And he had to be _sure_. “Is there any chance that it’s not that? That it’s just a crush, or a misunderstanding?”

Hercules sighed. 

“I know what Pythagoras looks like when he’s in love.”

Jason’s breath caught in his throat. Love. Bloody hell. _Love_.

“I’ve known Pythagoras a long time,” Hercules continued. “And I know it when I see it. There was another boy a few years ago. Young, dark hair, pretty, always in trouble.” 

He stared pointedly at Jason. Jason winced. Oh yeah, Pythagoras _definitely_ had a ‘type’. 

“Anyway, I saw what he was like then. He never admitted to me that they were lovers, but I knew. I saw the way he was with that boy, the way he looked at him, the way his face lit up when he talked about him. Pythagoras can be an uptight little sod a lot of the time, but for a while, at least, he was happy and relaxed. And then I saw the way he was when that boy disappeared without a trace.” Hercules paused and scrubbed a hand over his face. Then he met Jason’s eye again. “I’ve seen it again ever since you showed up in Atlantis. I _know_ what Pythagoras looks like when he’s in love.”

_And what he looks like when he’s heartbroken._

The words hung unspoken between them. Jason nodded. 

“I didn’t know,” he said again. 

“Yeah, well, you never saw him before, so you didn’t have anything to compare it to. But that’s not the point. The real question is what the hell are you going to do about it now you _do_ know?”

“I need to talk to him, but he disappears every time I try.”

“Do you love him?”

Jason’s head snapped up and he stared at Hercules. Hercules just looked right back him and waited.

“He’s my friend.”

“That doesn’t answer the question.”

Jason couldn’t meet Hercules’ gaze any more and he looked down at the table. 

He knew he had been having increasingly non-platonic thoughts about Pythagoras for a while now, and that he had been trying to ignore them. He knew he felt an unreasonable amount of possessive, almost jealous, feelings every time he so much as thought about Pythagoras with another man. He knew that just being with Pythagoras made him feel warm and safe and comfortable in a way that he hadn’t felt with anyone else, ever. 

But _love_? 

Jason forced himself to look up at Hercules. 

“I don’t want to hurt him.”

That didn’t answer the question either, but Hercules nodded, and a soft smile appeared. 

“At least we agree on that. But it’s easier said than done.”

“I don’t know what to do,” Jason admitted. 

Well, no that wasn’t entirely true. He had a pretty damn good idea what he wanted to do. But there was also a pretty damn good chance that if he did it, and if he messed it up, that he was going to lose the best friend he had ever known. 

Hercules stood up and squeezed his shoulder. 

“You’ll get there. Just make it quick, eh? All this moping about is putting me off my food.”

Jason felt himself smile for the first time that day, but before he could come up with a suitable comeback Hercules patted Jason’s shoulder and walked out.


	11. The Time for Truth

“Jason.”

He looked round from the window in surprise. Pythagoras looked like he wanted to be just about anywhere but here in this room with him, but he _was_ here, and there was a determination in his expression that Jason had not expected. 

Jason offered him a smile. He hoped it looked reassuring, and not slightly terrified. 

“I’m sorry,” Pythagoras said, looking him right in the eye. 

Jason tried to interrupt but Pythagoras shook his head.

“No, Jason. Please. Let me say this. I shouldn’t have run off like that, and I shouldn’t have spent the last day avoiding you. It was stupid and it was cowardly, and it wasn’t fair to you.”

“I’m pretty sure I know why you reacted that way,” Jason said. He couldn’t let Pythagoras carry on apologising like that. 

Pythagoras nodded. 

“That... that is what I suspected. Jason, I think you have probably realised how I feel about you.” Pythagoras paused, but not for long enough to allow Jason to speak. “I did not intend for you find out like that. To be perfectly honest, I never intended for you find out at all. I did not want to make you feel uncomfortable, or... well, I wanted to avoid precisely _this_.”

Right then he looked about as miserable as Jason had ever seen him.

“Pythagoras-”

“I want you to know I don’t expect anything from you. I hope... I hope this will not affect our friendship.”

“Pythagoras, stop.”

Pythagoras stared at him, momentarily startled out of his monologue.

“Can I get a word in now?” Jason asked, trying to keep his tone light, even though his heart was pounding in his chest like he had just run a marathon.

Pythagoras looked like he was bracing himself for the worst. 

Jason moved towards him, but stopped a few steps away. 

“You do realise that you are making one great big massive assumption, don’t you?”

“What assumption?”

“That I don’t want the same thing.”

Pythagoras frowned in confusion. 

“You...?”

Jason suspected Pythagoras had been playing and replaying all possible scenarios and permutations of how this conversation might go for the last day, because that was precisely what Jason had been doing himself. Apparently Pythagoras had not rehearsed this part of it. 

Jason moved closer. Braced himself. His heart was racing and his stomach was twisting itself into knots. Forget the bloody Minotaur, or Circe or Heptarian. _This_ was the bravest thing he had ever done. 

“I’m sorry too,” Jason said, never breaking eye contact. “I’m sorry I made such a bloody mess of our first kiss. I was drunk and if I’d had any clue _at all_ I wouldn’t have done it like that. So, if it’s all right with you, can we try it again? And I promise this time I’m not drunk, and I’m not experimenting, and I’m not joking.”

Pythagoras’ throat worked a couple of times but no words came out. 

“Please say something,” Jason whispered. 

Instead of speaking, Pythagoras closed the distance between them and reached up and slid his hand around the back of Jason’s head. He was breathing hard and his blue eyes were wide and his breath hitched when Jason stroked his hand along Pythagoras’ jaw.

Jason tilted his head and their lips met for the second time. The first time had been hard and desperate and greedy, but this... this kiss was slow and gentle, tentative, as if it would break under the slightest pressure. 

Pythagoras pulled back and Jason barely stopped himself just following and kissing him again. They looked at each other, and Jason saw the questions there in his blue eyes. Questions and fear and... hope.

Jason understood exactly how he felt. 

“Yes. Really.” Jason tried to offer him a reassuring smile. 

Apparently satisfied, Pythagoras put both arms around Jason and pulled him closer and then they were kissing again. This time it was neither slow nor tentative. This time Pythagoras opened his mouth and Jason needed very little encouragement to respond. This time they did not hold back and it was frighteningly easy for Jason to lose himself in the perfect terrifying heat and want and need. 

Somewhere in the part of his brain still capable of thought, Jason wondered why the hell he had ever thought this might not be a good idea.

When they finally parted for air, Pythagoras rested his forehead against Jason’s. Jason left his hand around the back of Pythagoras’ neck, his thumb stroking gently. His other hand had found its way around the man’s waist at some point and Jason didn’t even remember doing it. All he did know was that he had no intention of letting Pythagoras get too far away now. 

“How long?” Pythagoras breathed. 

“What?” 

“How long have you wanted...?”

Jason bit back a laugh. “A while. I don’t know. It sort of sneaked up on me. You?” 

Pythagoras’ lips curled up into that lopsided smile. “You do not want to know how long.”

Did that mean...?

“Really?” Jason hesitated, and then went ahead and asked. “Why didn’t you ever say anything?”

“I think you know why. And I didn’t want to risk losing your friendship. I still don’t, no matter how this goes.”

“Well that’s good, because neither do I.”

Pythagoras’ smile grew bigger, more confident, and Jason couldn’t help it; he tugged him into another kiss. Brief, but full of promise. Jason thought he could get very used to this. 

“Before we get much further, I should probably remind you about what I said last night, that I don’t have a great track record with relationships,” Jason said. He had no idea why he said it, and regretted it the second the words were out. 

“If this is where you tell me that it is not too late to stop this, I think we are long past that point, Jason.”

Jason breathed deeply and nodded. In amongst the exhilaration he knew he was bloody scared. Not just of the fact that he had never done anything like this with a man before, although that by itself was undoubtedly part of the reason why he had taken so long to accept it, but more because this wasn’t just any man, this was _Pythagoras_. Jason had meant what he said to Hercules; he really, really did not want to hurt Pythagoras.

No one had ever looked at him the way Pythagoras did. No one had ever shown him such immediate and unconditional trust. Jason had spent most of his life holding back with people, not daring to show them how he really felt because that only made it so much easier for them to hurt him. Now, for the first time in his adult life, Jason knew how it felt to trust someone completely. It was terrifying. And incredible.

He looked up. Pythagoras was watching him intently, and Jason recognised worry when he saw it. Pythagoras and worry went hand in hand so much of the time. 

“Jason... if _you_ want to stop this-” 

“No. No, of course I don’t.”

“Then what is it?”

“I want to tell you the truth about who I really am.”

Pythagoras made a quiet sound of shock, and his mouth fell open. Jason’s heart was racing again. He had honestly not known those words were going to come out before he heard himself speaking. But it was true. Right at that moment Jason wanted nothing more than to tell Pythagoras everything. Pythagoras deserved the truth. 

“Jason, you don’t have to. I have never-”

“I know. You have no idea how much I appreciate the way you haven’t pushed about any of this for so long. I know I don’t have to tell you. But I _want_ to. Pythagoras, I am tired of hiding the truth from you. I am tired of pretending and disguising things whenever I try to explain anything from my past. I don’t want to lie to you any more.”

Pythagoras’ breath caught. He watched Jason for what seemed like an eternity.

“Go ahead,” he said, his voice barely more than a whisper.

“I’m from the future. Another world. I came through some sort of magic gateway between our two worlds, and the day that I met you was the first day I arrived here. But it gets weirder. The Oracle told me that I was born here in Atlantis, but my father took me to the other world when I was a baby, to protect me. That’s why I don’t understand so many things here that you take for granted. That’s why I sometimes forget and talk about things that you do not understand, things that exist in the world where I grew up but not in Atlantis.”

He paused for breath. Pythagoras’ hands were still wrapped around the back of his head, and Jason felt his hold tighten a fraction.

“The future?” Pythagoras prompted. “Is that how you seem to sometimes know things about Atlantis, or about... about me?”

Jason nodded. 

“Where I grew up there are legends of Atlantis, the great city that angered the gods and was destroyed and sunk beneath the ocean because of it.”

Pythagoras’ eyes widened. 

“The Oracle told me that it was my destiny to save Atlantis, to stop that from happening, but I don’t know how.”

“But if you come from the future where it has happened, then how can it be prevented? If it has happened then surely it cannot be changed?”

“I don’t know.” Jason heard the desperation creeping into his voice. “I don’t know if the world I came from is really the future, or if it’s a parallel world where things are similar but different. I don’t know!”

Pythagoras surged forward and kissed him again. It was the briefest touch of lips but Jason closed his eyes and leaned into it, and let Pythagoras hold him.

“Shhh. It’s all right, Jason.”

He wanted to believe that. He wanted to believe that so very much. But now that he was talking about it Jason could feel the confusion and panic creeping up on him that he normally kept locked away. It was all very well the Oracle going on about his destiny and telling him he was special. Actually telling him what the fuck he was supposed to _do_ would have been more useful. 

“There are so many things that I don’t know, or that I can’t explain. I don’t know what to do, Pythagoras. And why the hell are you being so calm about all of this?”

Pythagoras smiled at him.

“Because right now one of us has to be.” 

Jason found himself smiling, and then he laughed. It was brittle, but it was genuine. 

“Has anyone ever told you that you’re brilliant?”

“Yes, actually. But it’s nice to hear sometimes.” 

Pythagoras continued to hold his gaze, solid and reassuring and comforting. It was hard to believe that only a few minutes ago, Pythagoras had been the one who was nervous.

Jason felt the other man’s fingers playing absently with his hair. It was strangely grounding in amongst all this talk of destiny and destruction.

“Aren’t you...? I don’t know. Angry? Or scared?”

Pythagoras gave him that soft smile again. 

“After nearly a decade of living with Hercules, I have almost infinite patience.” 

Not for the first time, Jason felt a rush of gratitude that of all the houses in Atlantis, he had crash landed into this one, and into the arms of this man. Maybe that had been destiny as well. 

“In the world where I grew up we don’t believe in fate or destiny. We don’t believe that the gods control our lives. We believe that we make our own decisions. But here, I don’t know.”

“No man can know his fate, Jason. All we can do is try to live our lives as best we can. If you have been chosen by the gods for something important then you cannot change that. But you _can_ make your own choice how to deal with it. And you don’t have to do it alone. Whatever your destiny, Jason, I will be by your side.”

It took Jason a moment to find his voice after that.

“I’m not sure what I did to deserve you.”

Pythagoras gave him a small smile. 

“I have thought the same thing almost every day since you arrived in my life.”

Jason felt himself flushing with heat, and couldn’t meet Pythagoras’ gaze any more. Pythagoras cleared his throat and when Jason looked up again he realised the other man was just as flushed as he was. 

“Before we got distracted by talk of destiny, you intended to talk about your past, and the world you came from. I get the feeling there is a lot more that you want to tell me.”

Jason nodded. This was safer. He could talk about cars and planes and computers and running water and modern medicine. It was easier than talking about the other stuff. 

“Lots more. It might take a while, though.”

“Then I suggest that we get a drink and sit down before we go any further. You can tell me everything that you want to share, and then we can work out how in the name of the gods to explain it all to Hercules.”

Oh, hell. That was a conversation Jason really didn’t want to think about. 

“I don’t know how much of it will make sense.”

“Then it’s a good thing that we have a lot of time.”

Pythagoras let go but before he could move Jason tugged him back. He hesitated, suddenly unsure. After only a moment Pythagoras seemed to understand. Pythagoras’ arms slipped around his waist and he kissed Jason again, soft and reassuring and undemanding. 

Jason decided he could get very, very used to this. 

When they parted Pythagoras sighed and his breath ticked Jason’s cheek.

“That is wonderful, and I am absolutely not complaining. But it is also incredibly distracting,” Pythagoras said.

“I know.” Jason suspected he sounded quite smug, but really, who could blame him right then?

Pythagoras poked him with a finger. “ _You_ are the one who decided you wanted to tell me everything about your past. I’m not objecting to more kissing, far from it, but that’s really not fair.” He paused and smirked slightly. “Besides, I still want to know what int er net really is.”

Jason groaned. “How do you even still remember that?”

“Because your explanation was one of the worst excuses for a cover story that I have ever heard.”

Jason felt himself flushing with embarrassment, and buried his face in Pythagoras’ shoulder. 

“It was really that bad?”

“It was terrible. But you can make it up to me with a proper explanation now.”

Jason looked up at him with his best approximation of puppy eyes. 

“I could also make it up to you with more kissing?”

Pythagoras rolled his eyes and laughed. 

“I expect that can be arranged as well.”

Jason grinned and stole one last kiss before Pythagoras went to fetch drinks. Much as he didn’t want to let go of Pythagoras now he had him, they were going to need wine. Jason got the feeling it was going to be a very long night.

A very long _distracting_ night.

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [Conversations on a Balcony (Art)](https://archiveofourown.org/works/3717964) by [MistressKat](https://archiveofourown.org/users/MistressKat/pseuds/MistressKat)




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